Hey everybody,                                                                                       Dec 9 2013

Just like that another week has gone by. Last week was pretty busy for us. This week is going to be crazy though. The rest of the year is going to be really busy. We have Christmas Conference, zone training, the open house for the ward, and our missionary sponsored Christmas Caroling this week. Next week will be a baptism and a zone Christmas party too. So we are super busy. Plus we have a million people to see! Man we are so busy.

This week we had a fun week. On Tuesday President and Sister Hill came to our district council meeting. Then they went with me and my companion to see the KAAF University. That was cool. I had arranged for a member to be with us to take us around and it worked out really well. I didn't know but this member is a vice president to the student body and has a very, very good reputation among the staff and his reputation played a huge part in getting us approved. The woman we were talking to just couldn't say enough nice things about him and some other members she worked with. It was a great reminder to me that people do watch us and they see us and associate our actions with the Church. They do that so much more than we realize. It's super important to always live like we are representative of the Church, because really, we are.

Interesting moment this week. We contacted one man a week or 2 ago by pushing his wheelbarrow for him. It was cool and we've been trying to get out to visit him but the schedules just haven't worked out. Friday he called us and said he wants to see us so he isn't going anyway where all day so we can come. We finally got out there around 7ish. It gets dark by 6 so it was already dark by then. Where we went there isn't a lot of electricity so we went to a building his friend owns. We walked in and it was dark because the lights didn't work. The place was a larger room, a single room building that was bigger than most houses.   I turned around and in the dark saw one of those giant church posters they have everywhere. The building is a church.  We shared a lesson with the guy and the pastor of the church in the pastor’s house right next to the church.  

Other fun times, one boy thought I was 50 years one this week, topped my last record by a decade haha. I guess I'm as old as Mom and Dad. I played the piano in Church on Sunday.  I'm going to be doing that from now on. I haven't practiced for years but I figured with faith I could do it. Well, we all have to remember that our Savior is the "finisher" of our faith and we have to do our part first. It was pretty rough. I only made it through one of the songs. It was scarier than anything else I have done on my mission. Really fun though. The Ward was so happy just that I tried so that was cool.

I have seen a general trend in the letters this week. Referring to the drop in temperatures haha. Just so you all know, I lied. When I left and said that that was my last time being cold that was a lie. I do get cold at nights. Even get the shivers.  I've almost had to pull out another sheet... Haha, enjoy those freezing temperatures. I think about the cold and just remember those miserable days working with Byron last January. Yep, don't miss it yet.

Random side note, I quote Father Goose, "Goody two-shoes and the filthy beast" a lot but nobody gets it.

Mom, you can tell everyone I would love real letters, my emailing time is less now and I am more rushed.

Well, this week was really cool. We taught some really powerful lessons and had some interesting lessons.  We were chased by a prostitute one day. We had to be ducking in and out of crowded houses but don't worry, we went by a bunch of guys smoking weed and she got distracted by that. That was interesting.

Just to describe the camp a little bit it's a lot like those Bourne movies. I have been trying to take more pictures of the place to send home but it has lots and lots of houses and low roofs and tight allies where only one person can pass at a time. Lots of low hanging metal roofs and you have to duck to avoid. Hopefully next week I can send some pictures home.

That’s about it this week though. I love you all and of course, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Love,

Elder Clark